


The Moment Before the Dawn

by Cent



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Dead People, M/M, after the war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:54:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cent/pseuds/Cent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is won, the titans are killed, all expect one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Moment Before the Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> So, I felt bad because I lost the elections of the president of the student board... But yeah, I felt like killing someone, so this happened. I feel a lot better now. Feel free to comment or what ever!

Eren looked out of the window. He saw a blue sky, birds and some clouds between the bars. He let out a sigh and looked down to his cuffed hands. When he moved his hands the cuffs made a sound. It was alright. It was just better like this. All the others had gone, one after another. They had finally found the answer, how to destroy the titans. How to kill all of them. Every last of them. 

 

Eren remembered the last battle. How he heard people screaming around him. How Armin pulled him out of the steaming hot body of a titan he had sifted into, said something that Eren couldn’t hear. He remembered the fear in Armin’s eyes. Only thing he could make out from his words was “Run!” Eren hadn’t quite understood Armin’s words. Why was there a need for him to run? All the titans had been killed. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore. Eren remembered himself smiling to Armin. “Don’t worry. It’s all over now”, he had said. 

 

But Armin had realized something that Eren hadn’t realized. There was only one titan left. It was Eren. The key, the one who saved the humanity. Eren smiled bitterly in his cell, looking at his cuffed hands. Of course, he should have known it. He was a monster. A titan. He needed to be swiped away, just like all the others. Hadn’t he himself cut Annie’s throat, after he had gotten the information out of her? Hadn’t he been there watching Reiner and Bertholdt’s hanging? Hadn’t he felt good about it? It was only logical that his turn would come. Eren knew there was a trial going on. A trial, just like the one before. Expect this time Levi wouldn’t be able to kick his face and make sure to everyone he was perfectly under control? 

 

Eren had totally been under the corporal’s command. Every move he made, he made only with the permission of Levi. As Levi liked to state it, he didn’t even take a shit without Levi knowing about it. But Levi know, just as well as everyone else, that you can’t totally tame a beast. Someday it might bite your hand off. Or eat you. Eren sighed again and leaned his head against the wall. It was peaceful to know that he would never hurt anyone again. Again a picture from the battlefield rose to Eren’s mind. How there came some men, soldiers, from Military Police, people Eren didn’t know. They were coming towards him. He remembered Armin coming in between him and them again, just like he did back then. Armin was where Eren had been in their childhood. Between his best friend and those who wanted to hurt him. But the men didn’t care about Armin. They hit him to ground, made their way to Eren and cuffed him. Eren remembered how he didn’t know what was going on. He remembered Armin’s screaming Mikasa. Screaming and crying, from the top of his lungs, begging Mikasa to come and save Eren’s sorry ass. 

 

The rock wall of the grey cell was cold. He was behind the bars, in the cell, like a criminal or like a beast. Even the only thing he had ever done was try to save the humanity. But of course he must be killed. He was a monster. A beast that needed to be put down before he made any further harm. Eren chuckled. After all he had been useful. Useful for his friends, useful to his comrades, useful to humanity. And most importantly, useful to Levi. Only thinking of Levi made his heart ache. He could imagine the cool man sitting in his trial, right now, making points for him. Trying to save him again. He could see Mikasa ready to strike anyone or anything, and Armin holding him down. Armin and Mikasa would be fine. They would survive, even without Eren. He knew it. Maybe even commander Erwin would say few words for him. And Hanji. Hanji would talk about important piece for her research. That humanity had to keep the last titan alive, just to see how to make sure nothing this bad would ever happen again. But Eren knew, no matter how much Levi tried, no matter how much all of them tried, it wouldn’t matter. Eren knew he was going to die tomorrow. The trial would end to his death sentence. And there was nothing anyone could do. Eren had already accepted it. 

 

In the battlefield, he remembered seeing Mikasa. Running towards him. Her scarf with her just like always. But Mikasa was tired of battle. Not even the strongest woman of the human kind could fight off the soldiers, he remembered Mikasa’s screaming, her pure rage as she tried to fight her way to her. “You will not get Eren!” She screamed. Over and over again. Eren saw her crying. He didn’t remember seeing her cry not even once since that night. But now the ice cold mask had worn off. She had blood and dust on her face and her tears were falling down, leaving marks on her cheeks. If Mikasa couldn’t save him, then could no one. That was when he accepted his obvious fate.

 

Eren didn’t know how long he had slept, nor when he had fallen asleep, but when he woke up the night had fallen. Eren hadn’t eaten anything, he didn’t know for how long. He knew he would die tomorrow, so it didn’t matter. 

“Eren?” He heard a silent voice calling his name. It made Eren lay his eyes to the door. The voice came from that direction. He saw a little bit of light coming from the door. The boy rose up, and made his way to the door. Behind it was the last person he’d expect in this kind of situation. 

“… Jean.” Eren said. He was too tired to even fight with the horse face. Maybe now, on his last night he could forgive Jean for being a totally idiot. Maybe, tonight. 

“Yeah… It’s me… I brought you bread.” Jean whispered under his breath, giving a piece of bread between the bars for Eren. Eren smiled and took the bread thankfully. 

“Such a last meal… Thank you…” Eren said and started eating the bread. He could hear Jean chuckle nervously behind the door. 

“Yeah… Just so you know… Sasha would have approved. A last meal like that.” Jean said and Eren could hear him leaning against the door. Yes. Indeed Sasha. 

“Did we lose her?” Eren asked. A silence spoke for itself. Eren took another bite of the bread, just for Sasha. She would have done the same for him. “Who else?” He asked. After a moment of silence Jean spoke again. 

“Well… Only Sasha… And well, Ymir killed herself after the battle. Christa’s… Down. More that down. I don’t know if she’ll last for long… Or well, Levi won’t let her kill herself, not now… She has a big job for herself. I guess Ymir knew what was coming for her…” Eren nodded. He understood Ymir very well. She wanted to die from her own free will, with a way she chose. That was just… Totally Ymir. 

“Thank you for the bread… And… Tell Connie I am sorry.” Eren said to Jean. 

“I also… Have a message to you. From corporal Levi.” Jean said. That made Eren’s senses sharpen. 

“Levi? What does he say?” Eren asked and put his face against the bars, trying to get closer Jean. On the other side Jean leaned against the door, as close to Eren as was possible. 

“It says: ‘Prepare to run. I will hear titan roar again.’” When Jean was finished, he just took and left. Eren had a lot to think of, he didn’t know what the corporal had planned this time, but he was certain of one thing: What ever he would try, it would just end up he and everyone of his friends hanging on the end of the day. 

 

Eren didn’t sleep in the entire night. And he knew Levi wouldn’t be sleeping either. He was running around the town, racing with the time, beating up guards and replacing them with soldiers loyal to himself. He was paying prices, making people loyal for him. He was doing what he was best at: Cleaning. He was cleaning the path for Eren to escape. He wouldn’t give up until Eren was saved. That was what Eren knew Levi would do. 

 

Meanwhile Eren went through special thoughts. Special memories, memories with Levi. Memories of the nights, steamy hot nights, when kisses had been exchanged, awkward hands in the darkness, muted moans, hoping that the people in next room wouldn’t hear them. Nights when the moon was bright enough to shine to Levi’s pale face, showing Eren the eyes of the man who was the strongest of human kind. Seeing him in his weakest. That was the thing Eren would miss the most in this world. Feeling Levi around him, in him. Hearing Levi pant. And the next morning, waking up next to the short man, the moment right before they both had to wake up and Eren would have to sneak back to his own bed, the small moment when he could feel Levi’s muscles and breath the same air as he did. That small, maybe a minute or two lasting moment before the sun rose up, his and Levi’s special moment, just before the dawn. When Levi’s eyes were peaceful, when Levi and Eren both knew that Eren was totally in Levi’s hands. The only moment of the day when Eren felt safe. 

 

The morning came, for the last time. Eren looked out of the window and felt the tears burning in his eyes. He was sorry for Armin. He couldn’t go to see the ocean with Armin. 

“Jaeger.” Eren heard a strange voice calling him and opening the door. “It’s time.” 

 

Eren was standing on the stage. He had his hands tied behind his back. He saw the crowd, there were hundreds of people watching. The death of the last titan. Eren listened patiently when the man read out loud why it was so important to get rid of the last titan and how this was the start of the new era. Eren could see Christa, who was now the queen, sitting on throne, looking pale and dressed up in the most beautiful clothes he had ever seen. Christa looked like she had cried the whole night. Eren was sorry for her. He could only imagine the pain Christa was going through. And he could only imagine what kind of thoughts were going around on her tiny head. Everyone knew about Christa and Ymir, they were as obvious as Levi and Eren. But no one had said anything about it. Then there was a bag over Eren’s head and he saw only black. Eren could hear his own beating hear when there was two loud shots from the crowd. 

 

Everything was messed up for a moment. Eren didn’t see anything, but he could hear people running around and screaming, a couple more shots, and then arm around him and he felt himself in the air. 

When the bag was removed from Eren’s head, he found himself sitting on one of those big trees. Next to him was, who else, than Levi. Eren found a way to smile. 

“You came”, Eren said as Levi freed his hands. Levi nodded. 

“Of course I came. I couldn’t let you die brat.” Levi said, looking at Eren with his serious grey eyes. Eren nodded. Of course Levi couldn’t do it. 

“… Who else?” Eren asked. 

“Everyone alive.” Was the only answer Levi gave to Eren. Eren nodded. He had thought so. 

“You will get hanged for this.” Eren said and took Levi’s hand smiling. 

“Like I care. You were about to get hanged.” Levi said and bit his lips. Eren knew Levi had watched way too many dear people die around him, and he was truly sorry for what was about to go happen. 

“But Levi… You know it has to happen.” Eren said and rose his hand on Levi’s cheek, making him face himself. Eren’s eyes were full of tears. “You know that I have to die. Kill all them titans, remember?” Eren whispered. “So please… Levi…” Before Eren could finish, Levi pressed his lips against Eren’s. 

“No. Don’t even think about it…” Levi said. Eren sighed. 

“Levi… Kill me…” He begged. Levi shook his head. Eren knew Levi would react like that. 

“Like the hell I would kill you. I just saved your ass. I put my own life in danger, do you have any idea how much it took to arrange all of it?!” Levi said, his voice close to breaking. 

“I’m sorry… Levi, it just has to happen… If you don’t kill me, they will…” Eren said and rose up. “I’m so darn sorry Levi.” He said before he leaned back, fell and bit himself, believing it would make things easier for Levi. Just to kill another titan. 

 

Levi drew his blades and faced it. Another titan. The last titan. Roaring, looking at him. Looking at him with green eyes.


End file.
